Woof woof
I don’t think we have much of a choice. Even a few more average referees would bolster the numbers nicely.
It’s just too easy these days
Enjoy these halcyon days. They all dance to your tune.
That’s why I’m so happy we’re so humble about it.
I reckon they are by far the most humble bunch of hurlers to ever hold a stick.
Will yer man Mark Tighe’s work on The Big House ever see the light of day I wonder?
Were you a fan of his work on exposing John Delaney?
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I wasn’t no.
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agree totally, would be very welcome im sure. familiarity breeds contempt. not an easy task at hand but why would someone volunteer to be a ref if remuneration is not adequate and if sidelines, managers and spectators think it is OK to blame the referee at every decision and not take a step back and view games without their rose tinted glasses,
certain it is… we seem to be our own harshest critiques, but players and managers need to accept decisions of referees. im sure we all see different views on incidents but ultimately the referees is final, even if not correct all the time…
I think there would be something to be said for Limerick GAA employing say 5 part time refs and paying them €20k a year. Give them a guaranteed income.
In return they would need to go through lots of training, and be available for the whole season, 7 nights a week, plus during days on weekends. If you said 3 hours a game with travel for say 9 games, that’s 27 hours a week work in the summer.
In the winter then they would have schools games etc but it would basically be like an inverse teachers holidays and they could take turns having a nice stretch off. Maybe you could bring it down to 5 nights a week and pay less
I don’t think it would actually cost you much more in the long run, might attract some more people like teachers/farmers or whatever who can be flexible
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Why would they take a paycut
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I was trying to work out what they might make. What is it €50 a game?
400 games is a lot of games 
Not when you add in your dole 
€200 a week dole, plus 5 games x 50.
Money is not the issue here. Referees are well remunerated and are generally kept local enough when fixtures are made. Limerick isn’t that big a county, anyway, that they’d be travelling big distances.
In any case, a fella who referees for money isn’t worth a fuck to you.
Above all, a referee needs cop-on and cop-on can’t be recruited, trained, appointed or paid. You have it or you don’t. We have plenty good referees who have it, but the numbers are dwindling as they age. There are some that are, and always have been, beyond redemption, though I’m. sure it is similar in many other amateur sports.
I also feel that the abuse card is being overplayed at the minute in the wake of the Roscommon incident… I’m out at games three or four times a week and haven’t witnessed anything badly out of order, whether the refereeing performance be either good or bad. Female parents at underage games would appear to be the worst offenders, primarily because they have no clue of the game.
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Money is always the issue, with everything. Below the absolute elite, it’s just a job for most lads. It’s either worth it or it’s not.
how do you think that would work out realistically, do you think that 5 part time refs with all this training will solve all the wrong calls and poor refs as you seem to think is the case at the moment? what would happen then to your established referees who may feel that their opportunity to progress is hindered?these ‘5 refs’ then need to be available for the whole season, they cant get injured, sick or go on holidays?
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Sporting Limerick